In true circus style, clowns, a ringmaster and music from a 120-year-old Bell Wagon—all provided by Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey—accompanied the unveiling of a series of commemorative United States forever postage stamps earlier this month on the grounds of The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Fla. This is the […]

NEW YORK – Norman Rockwell’s iconic baseball painting “The Rookie (Red Sox Locker Room)” sold for $22,565,000 May 22 to lead Christie’s May sale of American Art. The auction overall realized $64 million. The work, which had never been offered at auction, was painted in 1957 for the March 2nd cover of The Saturday Evening […]

It’s happened again! With a new X-men film opening in theaters everywhere this weekend, prices on X-Men back issues have gone completely and utterly insane. As several new characters join the X-Men’s movie roster, comic fans have been devouring (not literally) key issues, such as: • Uncanny X-Men #317, the first appearance of Blink (selling […]

That a Jesuit orphanage and school in Shanghai founded in the 19th century should be the cradle of modern creative art in China is extraordinary in itself, but it is firmly rooted in a significant Jesuit presence in China since the mid-17th century and the profound influence it had on the Imperial court. The same […]

FAIRFIELD, Maine – A menagerie of 125 Steiff stuffed animals from the collection of Chuck and the late Cathy Steffes—any of which could easily be the crown jewel in any Steiff collection—will highlight the upcoming Antique Toy, Doll & Advertising Auction to be held June 13 at James D. Julia, Inc. Billing itself as possibly […]

Those who braved Brimfield on Friday were prepared for the rainy weather, with ponchos and umbrellas and shoes they didn’t mind getting muddy. The bad weather kept the crowds low in number but didn’t dampen the antique-hunting experience. Determined shoppers—and I was one of them—simply picked their way around the mud and puddles to find […]

I met Joe DiMaggio once, when I was 17. A friend of mine was DiMaggio’s third cousin, twice-removed or something like that, and he invited me to a DiMaggio family barbeque that Joltin’ Joe was going to attend. At the time, in the mid-’80s, DiMaggio was better known as “Mr. Coffee” to kids of my […]

The term “antiques” used to elicit images of silver tea sets and Edwardian sideboards and even that “priceless Ming vaaase.” But if you say the word now, it’s just as likely to bring to mind thoughts of rusty two-handed saws and old snow shoes and surf boards. While the former are “antiques,” the latter are […]

Like it or not, sex sells! Unsurprisingly, sex figures prominently in popular culture through history. Early movies were quick to capitalize on sex, although the introduction of the Hays Code in 1930 and the resulting strict censorship kept things fairly buttoned up for nearly four decades. The more laissez-faire attitudes following the Second World War, […]

Well, blow me down. Steve Wynn, the American business and casino magnate, bought a 7-foot-tall stainless steel statue of the iconic cartoon character Popeye—a creation of artist Jeff Koons’—for $28 million Wednesday evening at Sotheby’s in New York City. The brilliantly colored sailor man is posed with his impressive, cleft chin jutting out, his right […]